Many thanks to H.E. Ambassador Aingeal O’Donoghue, Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the EU, for briefing correspondents on the priorities of the Irish presidency. Time did not allow for every question, but the discussion ranged from emissions trading to the next package of sanctions against Russia. Many thanks, too, to our vice-president, Catherine Feore, for moderating the discussion and organising the event for colleagues.
Competitiveness sits at the heart of Ireland’s six-month programme, O’Donoghue told us. Dublin aims to deepen the Single Market, simplify regulation and advance flagship initiatives including EU Inc, the Savings and Investment Union, and the Industrial Accelerator Act. Negotiations on the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), support for Ukraine and enlargement will cut across the presidency, she noted.
On the next long-term EU budget, O’Donoghue acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead. “How we get from here to the October European Council is by a lot of hard work, a lot of grind, a lot of working through figures, and a lot of consultation and discussion,” she said.
Asked how Ireland would balance its role as an honest broker with its interest in the Common Agricultural Policy, O’Donoghue said Ireland’s priorities were often portrayed too narrowly. “Ireland is a huge advocate of the Horizon Europe programme; we see huge benefits in the competitiveness fund,” she said.
On sanctions against Russia, O’Donoghue said Ireland hoped to conclude the next package “quickly, in the first half of July”, while stressing that agreement would depend on listening to member states and finding workable compromises.
Asked whether Ireland could help improve EU-US relations, O’Donoghue pointed to Ireland’s close ties with Washington but noted that the European Commission leads trade negotiations. She said the Turnberry Agreement had been derailed by the US Supreme Court and subsequent ad hoc measures, and that the priority was to restore a more stable framework.
